Yuletide Cheer
by Leiria
Summary: Can a lonely Christmas lead to a lifetime of happiness?


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the Harry Potter Universe, those are solely the property of J.K. Rowling and whoever she deems worthy of sharing them with. (I think Warner Bros is in there too somewhere.)

!!! This fic is AU (Alternate Universe)! The ships in this fic may offend. If you have a problem with Remus and Hermione, turn back now and pretend you never found this fic. One-shot hr/rl fluff. !!!

**Yuletide Cheer**

The snow fell softly down to the ground as Hermione Granger watched from the warm comfort of the Weasley's family home. She could hear everyone in the kitchen getting ready for the feast they were about to have and she could hardly believe they had finally come to this night.

They were six months out of the Second War and most things had returned to normal. Hermione had finally broken out on her own, leaving her parent's home behind and moving into a flat she and Harry shared. She spent most of her time researching politics and other laws, hoping to fulfill her dreams of creating equality for all species. Her first goal was the werewolves, after all, she loved one and hoped that she could, perhaps, make him understand that this was for him. She wanted him to know that without his involvement in her life, she would never have realized that she had the courage to do this. She even knew the name of the law she hoped to write: Lupin's Law.

Hermione smiled as she thought of the things the werewolf did to her without even realizing it. Even the mere thought of him made her heart race and her face flush. Every time she saw him, her palms were sweaty and it felt like an entire flock of butterflies invaded her stomach and began doing aerial acrobats.

She saw someone walking up from the road to the front door and her heart skipped a beat before it began pounding furiously faster than before. She recognized the late guest and she couldn't wait to answer the door for him.

Hermione jumped off of the sofa she had been sitting on and walked over the door, as to not appear to eager for Remus' arrival. She opened the door just as he was stepping up onto the porch and he looked up at her as he stomped the snow off of his boots.

"Hello, Hermione," he said breathlessly, a cloud of steam escaping him as he spoke.

"Come in quickly," Hermione said with a smile. "Before the heat escapes."

"Have they started?" he asked as Hermione backed out of the doorway so Remus could enter the house. "I'm not too late, am I?" he asked.

Hermione smiled. "Of course not," she said. "We wouldn't start without you, Remus," she said. "You're too important to us."

She wondered if he would read between the lines. She had told him in every subtle way that she could think of that she loved him and he never picked it up. Either that or he simply ignored it, which, Hermione thought, was completely ridiculous.

"I'm not that important, Hermione," Remus said with an odd look on his face.

"Oh bollocks," she said as he unwrapped his scarf from his neck and hung it with other coats and scarves next to the door. "You know you're part of this huge family and that you're just as important as the rest of us," she said with a warm smile.

Molly poked her head into the living room as Remus removed his coat from his shoulders. "Oh, I didn't even hear you knock, Remus," she said with a smile. "I didn't know you were here."

"That would be because I didn't knock, Molly," Remus said with a smile. "Hermione saw me walking up and opened the door before I had the chance."

"Well, it's nice to have you here, Remus," she said. "Now come into the kitchen. Dinner's just about ready."

Remus and Hermione both smiled and followed Mrs. Weasley back into the bustling kitchen. Ginny, Fleur, and Mrs. Weasley seemed to be dancing around the kitchen as they got the food ready to be served. Ginny was ducking under her mother's arm as she carried the Christmas turkey to the counter where Fleur was garnishing a few of the dishes. Mrs. Weasley waved her wand over to the fridge, causing it to open and the jug of eggnog to float over to the center of the table where Ron and Harry were quickly setting the table.

Mr. Weasley sat at the head of the table talking to his three oldest sons. The four of them started laughing at a joke Bill had just finished telling them and Hermione smiled at the site of the family gathered for another holiday.

"Remus!" Mr. Weasley called out, looking up to see the two of them standing there. "How was the trip?" he asked.

Remus chuckled and walked over to the table to sit next to Charley. "It was…emotional," he said. "My brother didn't quite expect the things he…discovered."

Hermione turned her attention away from Remus and the other Weasleys and stepped up to help the women with the dinner. "What can I do?" she asked.

"Oh, I think we've got it covered in here, Hermione," Molly said with a warm smile. "Go ahead and sit down. We're just about ready."

Hermione smiled in return and couldn't help but feel that Mrs. Weasley thought slightly less of her since her breakup with the youngest Weasley son. Hermione turned around and walked back to the table. She glanced over at Ron who was sulking in a way that very few of the others noticed and his eyes flashed with anger when they met hers. Hermione quickly looked away and sat down next to Remus, turning her attention to the news about his trip.

"Well, he wasn't happy to find out that it was our father's fault that I contracted the Lycanthropy," he confessed. "He was born after I was bitten so he didn't know the story before hand."

"How did he find you, anyway?" Bill asked. "You haven't been a part of the Muggle world in ages."

"Thank you for making me feel older than I really am, Bill," Remus said with a smirk. "Actually, Romulus found me by going to one of the Muggle witches," he said.

"Muggle witches?" Mr. Weasley asked. "You mean a Squib?"

Remus shook his head. "No, actually," he said. "A…what was the word," Hermione heard him say softly. "A pagan, I believe is what he said she was. Apparently there's an entire religion based on magic. He found me by going to one of their psychics."

Charley laughed. "You're joking, right?" he asked. "A bloody _psychic_ led your brother to your doorstep?"

Remus nodded. "I'd wager that she was probably just a Witch who was pretending to be a Muggle for money," Remus said. "Odds are she probably went into the back or something and looked me up."

"That's brilliant," Charley said, still laughing. "So what did he say when you told him the story?"

"Well, he asked me why I suddenly disappeared when I turned eleven. I never went back to my mother's after I started attending Hogwarts, and I wasn't ever around after my mother remarried. Remember, he's nearly ten years younger than I am and his father was not the same as mine," Remus reminded them.

"At any rate, he asked where I'd gone and I told him that I'm a Wizard and that I'm a werewolf. He thought I was mad as a hatter until he the next day when he caught me using magic on his toaster," Remus said with a chuckle. "I couldn't figure out how to get the damned thing to work. After that he sort of…freaked out and it wasn't until I put him under a calming spell and talked to him about these things that he really understood."

"So are you going to see him again?" Percy asked.

Remus shrugged. "In all honesty, I don't think that's very likely," he confessed. "My brother didn't seem to want a beast for a brother."

"You're not a beast," Hermione found herself muttering. Remus turned to look at her and when their eyes met she felt something change between them. The other four didn't seem to hear what she had said and continued talking as though she wasn't there, drawing Remus' attention back to the conversation. Hermione felt her heart rate skyrocket again and poured herself a glass of eggnog to distract herself.

The dinner was, in a word, perfect in Hermione's mind. The turkey was delightfully tender and juicy and all of the fixings were cooked to pure Weasley perfection. With everyone full of good food and cheer, they made their way to the living room where a mountain of presents had appeared under the Christmas tree.

Everyone sat down while Mr. Weasley poured everyone drinks. He passed out the Firewiskey and held his glass up, ready to make a toast.

"I just wanted to say how _lucky_ we are that we're all still here," he said, looking at everyone. "With everything that's happened over the last six years, we truly are blessed. I wanted to take a moment to be thankful for the things that we do have, and remember the people we have lost. Mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and family," he said softly. "Here's to a happy coming year," he said with a smile before he brought his glass to his lips to drink. Hermione and the others followed suit. Hermione glanced over at Remus and saw that he had been looking at her, his glass untouched. He smiled when she looked at him and took a sip before Mrs. Weasley stood up to start passing out gifts.

Remus and Hermione were the last to receive their gifts and Hermione couldn't help but notice that Mrs. Weasley seemed almost reluctant to hand Hermione her gift. Hermione smiled warmly at Mrs. Weasley, wishing that the woman she had come to love as a mother didn't like her as much as she had just because Hermione had fallen out of love with Ron. Mrs. Weasley smiled in return and went back to her seat next to her husband and held his hand. The look she gave Hermione almost said that love was something Hermione would never have because of her decisions. Hermione sighed and turned her attention to the bright red and green box in her hands.

Hermione took her time unwrapping the gift. Under the wrapping was a plain white box with no markings whatsoever. Inside of the long and slender box, Hermione saw a note on top of an expensive looking quill.

Hermione took out the note and read: _You may have distanced yourself from us because of Ron, but don't be afraid to write once in a while. We don't like getting all of our information from Harry and Ginny. Love, Molly and Arthur_

Hermione smiled and looked up at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. She nodded and they both smiled. Suddenly Hermione felt childish for thinking that they would think less of her. They just didn't know her as well as they used to anymore.

She turned her attention to the quill next. It was an elegant phoenix tail feather and Hermione wondered how much it had cost them. Phoenix feathers were not only rare, but they lasted far longer than any other quill. Hermione knew she would use it often and any letter she wrote to the Weasleys would be done with that quill.

She placed the quill back in the box with the note on top of it. She closed the box and placed it off to the side. She looked around as the others examined their gifts and was glad that she had decided to buy the heads of the Weasley clan something even if she thought they didn't consider her a daughter anymore.

However, when she looked back at the tree where the other gifts should have been, Hermione couldn't see her gifts anywhere. She knew that she had brought them with her and that Mrs. Weasley had said that she would put them with the rest, but they simply weren't there.

Worried, Hermione waited to see if they were, perhaps, under the other gifts. After the last present had been handed out and Hermione's gifts were nowhere to be seen, she excused herself on the pretense of going to the bathroom. Instead. She walked outside and was just about to leave when the kitchen door opened again to reveal Remus.

"Hermione, what's the matter?" he asked as she brushed her hot tears off of her cheeks.

"It's nothing," she lied. "How did you know I was out here?"

"I heard the door," Remus answered. "And I noticed that you were upset about something. Are you alright?"

Hermione shrugged. "I've tried so hard," she said with a growing lump in her throat. "I've tried to convince her that I'm still the Hermione I was when I was dating Ron, but she won't have it," she said. "She won't even look at me and when she does there's that hint of bitterness in her eyes. She _hates_ me because I broke her son's heart."

"Hermione, you can't be serious," Remus said softly, reaching out and placing his hands on Hermione's shoulders. "They love you just as much today as they always have," he said.

Hermione shook her head. "No they don't," she whispered. "I don't know what I did to make her hate me except for tell them the truth!" she cried. "How can they hate me for that?"

Remus sighed. "Molly always thought that you and Ron would get married and probably have two children, a boy and a girl, and that you would be the daughter she's always thought you were. Hermione, it's not that she hates you, it's that she doesn't want to admit that her dream won't come true. She doesn't want to be faced with the fact that her youngest son won't get the girl of his dreams. You have to realize that she and Arthur were married right out of Hogwarts and that they've spent their entire lives with each other. She wanted that for all of her kids but the likelihood of Charley, Percy, and the twins getting married any time soon are slim to none. Even Harry and Ginny are putting things off for quite some time. Molly had hoped that you and Ron would marry and make her a proud grandmother. It's not that she hates you, Hermione, it's that she's forced to come to the realization that she's not going to have the family she thought she would. One day, she'll understand what she's doing and the two of you will be on good terms again. Now come back inside."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "No, I should go home," she said softly. "Go home and be alone because Harry's going to be with Ginny at her flat tonight."

"Alone on Christmas?" Remus asked. "You?"

Hermione sighed and nodded. "Maybe I'll work on that law I'm trying to write and pass."

"Which law?" Remus asked, his curiosity genuine.

"The werewolf rights law," Hermione answered. "I've been working on it for about three months now and I've almost finished it."

"Hermione…" Remus said softly. "Why…?"

Hermione smiled. "Because it's time that you realize that you're not monsters," she said softly. "And it's time that the rest of the Wizarding world knew it too."

Remus stared at Hermione in shock. "Do you know what you're doing?" he asked softly.

Hermione nodded. "I was hoping to have it finished by now so that you could see it," she said. "I wanted it to be my present to you, but…it's not quite done."

"May I see it anyway?" Remus asked. "I might be able to help you finish it."

Hermione smiled. "Of course," she said. "Why don't we go back in and get our coats?" she asked.

"And tell everyone that we're leaving?" Remus asked.

Hermione smiled. "That was implied," she said softly.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "You were just about to leave without telling anyone, so don't tell me that saying goodbye was implied," he said softly.

Hermione chuckled. "You know me too well, Remus," she said softly.

"I only know you so well because you're just like me," he replied. "Now come on," he said. "Let's go say goodbye and then I want to see this law of yours."

Hermione sighed as she shut the door behind her and turned on the overhead light with the flip of a switch. Remus looked around, having not been in the apartment before, and went to the far wall to investigate the pictures there.

Hermione's gaze found the wall. "That's everyone who died in the war," she said softly. "And the two Order groups," she said, gesturing to the two photos in the center. "We had the original Order's photo resized so that they can all fit without having to move," she added. Remus nodded and sighed heavily, seeing his three best friends in the photo of the original Order of the Phoenix.

"This was Harry's idea, wasn't it?" Remus asked.

Hermione glanced at him oddly. "What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Because only Harry would want to be constantly reminded of everyone who died," he said softly.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, it was his idea," she said softly. "The hallway is full of photographs of everyone who lived," she said. "We've even got a picture of you there," she said with a chuckle.

"When did you get a photo of me?" Remus asked, looking at her in shock.

Hermione smiled. "It's a candid shot," she said. "You didn't even know the picture was taken, but occasionally the photograph looks at us as we walk by and gives us a smile and a wave. Harry and I want a better one of you, but we haven't seen you in a while."

Remus nodded with a sigh. "Yes, I have been rather distant lately."

Hermione shrugged. "It's understandable," she said. "I mean, with everything that's happened lately…. I've been rather distant myself. Tonight was the first night I've seen the Weasleys in months," she said. "I mean, except for Ginny, but she's over here almost every day. Sometimes I wonder why she doesn't just move in. Either that or Harry moves in with her. They're about ready for that next step."

"Exciting," Remus said with a smile, looking away from the photos and turning to Hermione. "What about you?" he asked. "Anyone in your life now that Ron isn't?"

Hermione gave Remus a sad smile. "No," she said simply. "I've been busy with this werewolf law I'm writing. I have one shot at presenting it to the Wizengamot whenever I finish it."

"May I see it?" Remus asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, it's in my office," she said. "Since I work from home, I have the spare bedroom for an office," she said at Remus' confused look. "Come on back," she said before she turned and began walking towards the hallway.

Remus followed and as he turned into the hallway, he saw the pictures lining the walls and smiled at seeing a picture of Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny when Ginny graduated Hogwarts. Next to it was the picture of Remus that Hermione had told him about. As he watched the two pictures he saw that the photographic versions of Hermione and Remus would occasionally look at each other and smile. Remus felt his heart rate kick up a notch and wondered how these photographic copies could be so accurate.

Hermione opened the first door on the right and stepped inside, flipping on the light switch as she entered. When Remus reached the door he watched her for a moment as she flipped through a few parchments at her desk before she picked on up and smiled. "This is it," she said proudly, handing it to him.

Remus took the copy and stared for a moment at the heading. _Lupin's Law_ was clearly written in Hermione's neat penmanship and Remus found himself far more touched than he had ever felt in his entire life.

"You named it after me?" he asked, looking up at her.

Hermione smiled. "You're the most influential person in my life," she said softly. "And you're certainly the only werewolf I know that I could even consider naming it after. Is that okay with you?" she asked quickly, seeing the look on Remus' face.

Remus looked surprised that Hermione would feel the need to ask. "Of course," he said softly. "Hermione, I'm honored that you would do that," he said. "Why would you think that you couldn't name the law after me?"

Hermione sighed. "The look on your face," she said softly.

Remus had a shocked look on his face after she said that. "I was surprised," he said softly. "I didn't think I was enough of an influence on your life for you to do this," he added.

It was Hermione's turn to stare in shock. "Why would you think that?" she whispered. "You were the best teacher we ever had in Hogwarts," she said. "You helped us through so much. It was your voice on a radio that gave me the hope to keep going," she said. "It was knowing that you would be there when I came back that kept hope alive in my heart. Jesus, you don't get it do you?" she whispered. "No matter how much I try to tell you, you just don't hear me…"

Remus sighed heavily. "That's where you're wrong," he said softly. "Hermione, I hear you loud and clear. The reason I've ignored you in that regard is because I'm twice your age," he whispered. "You can't possibly want someone like me, Hermione. I mean, for Merlin's sake, I'm a _monster!_"

"No you are _not!_" Hermione yelled. "Remus, you deserve every bit of happiness as the rest of us if not more so because of what you've been through. And age is just a fucking number, Remus," she said softly.

Remus stared at her in shock for her language. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to figure out what to say next. He was acutely aware of the fact that Hermione wasn't that thirteen-year-old girl he had tutored so many years ago. He knew very well that she was an amazingly beautiful young woman and here she was, telling him that she loved him and he was telling her no, just like the honorable man that he liked to pretend he was.

"Say something," Hermione said angrily, folding her arms across her chest and leaning

Remus sighed. "I'm not the man you think I am," he said softly.

"I'll be the judge of that," Hermione answered.

"Hermione…"

Hermione sighed and walked over to Remus. She plucked the rough draft of the law out of his hands and put it on the desk. "Give me a good reason why not, and I won't bring the subject up again," she said.

Remus sighed. "I can't," he said softly. "I don't want to."

"Then don't fight it," Hermione pleaded, reaching up to brush some of the golden brown hair away from his face. She saw the silver in his hair and she remembered a time when there was less of it.

"How could I?" Remus whispered before he quickly reached up and pulled Hermione's face towards his and kissed her.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Remus' neck, deepening the kiss, and pressed herself as close as she could to him. Remus' hands left Hermione's face and traveled down to her waist. He tightened his hold of her and she rose on her toes to be closer to him.

Remus pulled away, breathing heavily, and rest his forehead against hers. "Hermione," he breathed.

"Hermione?" Harry's voice called. "Are you here?"

Hermione sighed and let out a small chuckle. "I'm in my office," she called back.

Remus heard footsteps down the hall and shortly after that, Harry's head poked around the corner. "Oh, hey, Remus," Harry said with a smile. "Did you see that law she's writing?" he asked.

Remus cleared his throat and shook his head. "Not yet," he said.

Harry nodded, seeming oblivious to the tension in the room. "You should," he said. "Hermione's really brilliant. She's going to single-handedly change the world."

Remus chuckled at the blush that crept up on Hermione's cheeks. "Yes she is," he said with an odd twinkle in his eyes. Harry gave the two of them a sideways look and shook his head slightly.

"Anyway," Harry said, breaking the look Remus and Hermione were sharing. "Hermione, Molly said to tell you that she's sorry. She didn't mean to be so cold to you. And she says to tell you thanks for the book."

Hermione sighed. "Thanks, Harry," she said softly.

"Hey, it'll get better," he said with a reassuring smile. "I promise. She's just got to get over this whole 'no Ron-and-Hermione' thing. I'll bet she's going to feel a lot better about it when you have a boyfriend or something. She doesn't quite know about Andrea, but Ron's going to tell her about that soon."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, well, if Ron's going to be with one of the other Aurors, then he needs to get over whatever he has against me. It's his scathing looks that keep me away most of the time."

"Ron's an idiot sometimes, Hermione," Harry said with a half-smile. "You and I both know that. Anyway, I'm off to Ginny's. You left your present at the Burrow so I brought it home and I've delivered the messages. You two have a good night."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "You too, Harry," she said.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't," he said with a grin. Hermione laughed as Remus stood in shock and Harry disappeared back down the hallway. Remus seemed to hold his breath until he heard the front door shut again.

"He knows?" Remus asked.

Hermione chuckled and seemed to fight a smile. "You're wearing my lipstick," she said before she laughed again.

Mortified, Remus reached up and wiped his mouth. When he looked down at his hand, he saw the red tint on his fingers and he fought his laughter as he looked back at Hermione.

"Well, that's just perfect," he said with a chuckle. "Why couldn't you have warned me about that?"

Hermione smiled. "I didn't know until he was in here," she said. "I'm sorry."

Remus chuckled. "It's not that big of a deal," he said. "We're all adults, aren't we?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "Very much so," she said, the laughter suddenly gone from her voice.

"Where were we?" Remus asked, drawing Hermione close again.

Hermione smiled as she rose on her toes to kiss Remus. "Doing adult things," she whispered with a chuckle.

Remus pulled away from Hermione so he could see her eyes. "So how about that tour of the house?" he asked. "Isn't that what any good hostess does the first time her guest visits?"

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "Do you want the grand tour or are you interested in the main attractions?" she asked.

Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "What's the main attraction?" he asked coyly.

Hermione chuckled. "It's this way," she said, leading him out of the office and across the hall to her bedroom.

***

Two months later Hermione nervously stood in front of the Wizengamot, reciting the law she had written to them. As she finished, she looked at each of their faces. "The werewolves weren't on Voldemort's side because they were evil," she said softly, "they were on his side because he promised them something that we have denied them for centuries. Rights. I promise you that if you pass this law, if you make werewolf discrimination punishable by law and you give them the chance to prove themselves, you will be pleasantly surprised. If you make sure that every werewolf in Britain receives the wolfsbane potion monthly, there will be a decrease in werewolf-related crime and fewer people infected monthly. Please, don't give them a reason to rally behind another Death Eater or dark wizard. Give them what they want and they won't turn on us again."

Hermione sighed as she looked up at each of their faces. "A werewolf is a large part of the reason we are standing here today," Hermione informed them. "He was the best teacher Harry, Ron, and I ever had," she said. "He supported us, he guided us, and in the middle of the war, he protected us. Please, make it so he can be happy. He's already a hero to Harry Potter."

Hermione saw the change in their faces. She saw the thought processes as the members of the Wizengamot thought about what she had said. If Harry Potter can idolize a werewolf, then clearly they're not _all_ bad.

"All those in favor of passing Lupin's Law?" the head of the Wizengamot asked standing. One by one nearly every member raised his or her hand and said "aye".

"All those who disagree?"

Only four members of the Wizengamot disagreed with Hermione's argument, and they were the ones she had known that she would never be able to convince. Hermione smiled as the announcement that Lupin's Law had passed judgment and would now be passed on to the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt. On Christmas, Harry had said that she would single-handedly change the world. As she walked out of the courtroom and saw Remus sitting on the chair, waiting anxiously for the news, she knew that he was right.

"Well?" Remus asked, looking up at her.

Hermione smiled proudly. "I always knew I could change things if I just tried hard enough," she said.

Remus smiled broadly and stood, sweeping her into his arms with a laugh. "I love you," he said breathlessly before he kissed her.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Hermione whispered in his ear.

**End**


End file.
